Airbus determined to stay with RPAS's

Domingo Ureña Raso, executive vice president of the military aircraft division at Airbus Defence and Space, is quite determined that not only will the European group not pull out of the remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) sector said the group aims to become one of the top global players in the field, most likely in the company of Finmecannica and Dassault, at least as far as MALE (Medium Altitude High Endurance) RPASs are concerned.

"Before the end of the summer I hope to have a strategy for UAVs," he said, referring to RPASs by the older version of the acronym. He pointed out that "we have all the bricks to make an extremely effective UAV," adding that there was "no way we should miss out on this technology."

Ureña was speaking informally with journalists at the annual Tress Media Briefing organised by the division in Seville, Spain where the A400M has its final assembly line.